


The Cheerful Pebble and the Magpie

by Mithril_and_Acorns



Series: Pebbles Courting Pebbles [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child!Bofur, Child!Nori, Dwarf Courting, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kid Fic, M/M, Protective Dori, Timeline What Timeline, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, brothers ri, dwarflings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28625766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithril_and_Acorns/pseuds/Mithril_and_Acorns
Summary: Nori didn’t like it, but he had no other options. He had already tried everything else, and nothing had worked. Nothing was good enough. Nothing looked good enough or felt good enough.Putting on his most determined face, the dwarfing marched up to the door and gave a soft knock—it wouldn’t do to forget his manners and be lectured for the next three hours.“Come in.” With a sort of grim determination that was better suited to someone heading to the executioner’s block, Nori opened the door and walked in. This was his last hope.
Relationships: Bofur/Nori (Tolkien)
Series: Pebbles Courting Pebbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097672
Kudos: 18





	1. (Nori) Meeting His One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Here’s my second fic for this fandom! Thank you all so much for the love for my first fic! It really helped me write this one. This takes place in a different AU where the dwarves still live in Ered Luin after Erebor fell, but everyone knew everyone as children!

Nori didn’t like it, but he had no other options. He had already tried everything else, and nothing had worked. Nothing was good enough. Nothing looked good enough or felt good enough. 

Putting on his most determined face, the dwarfing marched up to the door and gave a soft knock—it wouldn’t do to forget his manners and be lectured for the next three hours. 

“Come in.” With a sort of grim determination that was better suited to someone heading to the executioner’s block, Nori opened the door and walked in. This was his last hope. 

*****Earlier******

Fluffy, golden, cheesy perfection was delicately resting atop the stall’s counter where they steamed softy in the cold mountain air. The delicious scent of fresh bread and melted cheese cloyed together, creating culinary perfection.

Two bright eyes were gazing at the cheese buns with hunger, tiny body hidden behind one of the numerous barrels that filled the market square of Ered Luin. The pebble’s hair was a knotted, tangled mess—filled with leaves, dust and other unmentionable things. He absolutely hated letting his brother Dori anywhere near his head, afraid that his older brother’s fussiness would rub off on him and then he would never be able to have fun again. 

Grruummbbble. Putting a hand to his empty belly, he licked his lips. Surely just a nibble wouldn’t be too dis-rep-you-table. Dori was rather fond of that word dis-rep-you-table. He said it about everything, from their clothes, to their neighbors, to Nori’s sticky fingers...

A quick glance around ensured that the dwarfling’s fusspot brother wasn’t anywhere nearby—rather remarkable really since Dori seemed to have a preternatural ability in knowing when Nori was about to do something that would turn his hair prematurely grey!

And Dori said that Nori was overly dramatic. 

Hesitating for just a single moment, eyes searching for those distinctive brown braids or for the distinct girth of the stall owner, the tiny pebble darted out from his hiding place and quicker than a blink had swiped a bun off the counter and was racing down the back alleys of The Blue Mountains, cackling madly at another successful heist. 

So gleeful at his master thieving skills and the thought of how delicious the warm bun would be, Nori didn’t even notice the other dwarfling in the alley until he crashed into them. 

“Och no! Are ye okay?!” A worried brogue asked, tiny hands reaching to help pull Nori upright from where he had fallen down, cheese bun still tightly clenched in one of his hands. 

Still reeling from the collision, Nori looked at the boy who helped him up and had to hold in a gasp. 

Standing before him was the most handsome dwarfling he had ever seen! Twinkling brown eyes as pretty as the buttons Nori often nicked from the dressmaker’s stall stared back at him. Those pretty copper eyes drew attention to the brightest grin to have ever faced a stone-born in the history for Arda, soft whiskers beginning to peek out from the otherwise naked face. His thick brown hair was tied off into two miner’s pigtails, the ends curling out rather endearingly from a monstrous furry cap set atop the other dwarfling’s head. His shoulders were broad, his frame thick and stout despite his obvious age and Nori felt his heart flutter at the sight—though he had no idea why. 

“Oy! Can ye hear me? Maybe ta fall was harder than I t’aught...” And that voice. It was high pitched like most dwarflings but had the echo of caverns deep and the whisper of rumbling stone, not to mention the most adorable brogue that was often found amongst the Blacklock Clan.

It sounded even prettier than the bells i the market square and Nori found himself suddenly and inexplicably in love. 

Those brown eyes looked down at Nori’s face, no doubt taking in the large eyes and tangled bird’s nest that Nori called hair and suddenly dropped to the cheese bun that Nori was still clutching in his hand. 

A loud grumble startled both boys, and the handsome dwarrow grinned sheepishly. “Ach, sorry! It’s just that ta chees’ buns from ta market are me favorite! But me adad don’ have ta coin to buy t’em very often, so it’s a rare treat!” He explained, smile turning even more endearing because of the squinted eyes and embarrassed tilt of his head. 

Without a single thought, Nori pressed the bun into the other’s hand. “Wha?” The boy stared at him in confusion.

“But t’is is yer bun.” And he tried to hand it back. 

But Nori simply shook his head, before running away, ignoring the other’s confused shouts and instead kept going until he finally reached his family’s dingy little apartment. 

As soon as Nori had shut the door behind him, a great big grin broke out across the ginger’s face and he squealed happily into his hands. He was in love!


	2. (Nori) The First Gift

Nori slinked through the shadows of a rather questionable part of town, large eyes tracking the movements of a stocky little dwarrow who happily chatted to two other boys—his little brother and his cousin respectively. 

After a week of stalk— uh, obsessive shadowing—yes that was much better because it made him sound far more mysterious and versed in his chosen craft—Nori had learned that his handsome dwarfling’s name was Bofur, and that he came from a small family of miners. 

Despite that though, his Bofur seemed to enjoy whittling—even though he didn’t seem very good at it yet. The ginger often found Bofur carving away enthusiastically at pieces of scrap wood, the dwarrow seemingly happy at the mere act of whittling as opposed to the piece taking on any recognizable shape. 

Nori had taken the opportunity to snag a few of the pieces his one had roughly carved, the vague oliphant/eagle/donkey held protectively to his chest as he rushed away to his house, before setting it in a place of pride on the wobbly little table on his side of the bed. Nori then proceeded to tell Dori that he better not touch it, or else!

His older brother just scoffed at the wooden eyesore, but otherwise left it alone and Nori smiled in satisfaction. 

Nori watched as Bofur turned to his very round little brother and told a joke that had the butterball of a dwarfling burst into a fit of giggles, and Nori wished that he could be closer to his handsome pebble. But it would be very un-gen-ta-man-ee to bother his Bofur without properly courting him. Just because he didn’t want to be a prissy bore like Dori didn’t mean that Nori was un-city-lies! He knew that his One deserved nothing less than to be courted properly!

He had already given Bofur his favorite food—proving that Nori could provide for him, but it didn’t count because Nori hadn’t meant for it to be a courting gift when he had snatched it, and he knew that it was slightly lopsided from his tumble and then from clutching at it so tightly when he was faced with the gorgeousness that was Bofur. 

He needed to do this properly! Which meant that he needed to give his One another cheese bun, this one perfect and beautiful so that Nori could prove how well he could provide for Bofur and convince the other dwarfling that Nori could be a good husband! 

As Nori creeped to the next shadow, he winced, tiny shoulders clenched tight as his side throbbed. 

He had gone to the cheese bun stall that morning and waited for nearly an hour behind a smelly barrel of day old fish before he saw his chance to swipe the cheese bun he had his eyes on, and make a getaway. 

Except he wasn’t quick enough to escape the notice of that stupid, pompous prat Dwalin son of Fundin, who seemed to think that just because his adad was captain of the city watch, that meant he needed to be just like him. The stockier mountain of a dwarfling had seemed to make it his mission in life to be a pain in Nori’s bum!

He seemed to be as good at Dori, when it came to tracking down Nori when he was trying to practice his craft like any other dwarrow! Honestly, his craft was an ancient and well honored tradition that could be traced back to the oldest days of dwarrowdom! Just because it wasn’t re-speck-table to fusspot older brothers or mountainous dwarflings didn’t mean they should pass judgement on him for attempting to practice it!

But no! He was just making his getaway, cheese bun carefully wrapped up in a handkerchief he had nicked from Dori—better chance of it being clean that way—when that blasted bully holled “Thief!” and tackled Nori to the ground. 

Luckily, Nori had curled his body around the delicate courting gift to cushion it from the charging dwarfling, his right side taking the brunt of the impact!

Nori had spent six minutes attempting to wiggle away from the larger boy, trying everything from elbowing Dwalin in his cookie-loving gut to crying for Dori to come and save him! Yet nothing worked until Nori had begrudgingly revealed that the cheese bun wasn’t for him, Mahal’s Smelly Rocks! It was a courting gift for his One! 

Dwalin had looked at Nori in surprise, eyes round under his heavy eyebrows and his measly little whiskers twitching—honestly they were nowhere near as beautiful nor as handsome as Bofur’s—before his chubby hands helped Nori up and patted him down. “For yer One?” the other boy had asked reverently, and just a smidge suspiciously. 

Outraged at the clear skepticism, Nori had hissed that yes it was for his One! And that his One was the most handsome, happy, cheerful, smiley dwarfling in the Ered Luin! And that he liked cheese buns, but couldn’t always buy them and Nori didn’t have any moneys because he didn’t know where moneys even came from—Dori was always very careful to keep his brother from knowing just how poor they were and how very little coin they had, to the point where Nori had no idea what money even came from, only knowing that people were constantly asking for it! 

And that he needed to show his Bofur that Nori could provide for him, and that he didn’t have a craft that let him make things, and that he was too little to even try to make his One something that would be worthy for him, a fact that stung despite the fact that Nori had come to terms with it years ago. 

Nori was smaller than any other dwarfling his age, and even smaller than some of the younger pebbles, and his skinny little frame was nowhere near the bulk of Dwalin let alone Bofur. This meant that no Master was willing to take on such a tiny and weak pebble as their apprentice and that Nori had no other choice but to learn a craft that would let him use his speed and nimbleness. 

But it didn’t mean that Nori didn’t want the opportunity to make his One a proper courting gift, because his One deserved the best and Nori knew that he could never really be the best, but he could try, by Mahal’s Furry Stones, he could try! Frustrated tears made their way into the little boy’s big brown eyes, and he wiped at them angrily. He would not cry in front of stupid Dwalin!

During the entire rant Dwalin had stayed silent, not daring to interrupt the smaller boy, not even when Nori’s cheeks puffed out in anger and his crazy hair flew in every direction, a few twigs flying and hitting Dwalin in the face as Nori flailed his arms about in a rage until finally he seemed to run out of things to say, and he wiped at the tears he was trying desperately to hide. 

“ ‘m sorry.” Dwalin whispered, his face turned down in shame. Dwalin knew that every dwarrow should have the opportunity to court their One to the best of their abilities, and as much as he hated to admit it, Dwalin had interrupted the other’s attempt to do so. 

He fervently hoped that Balin didn’t hear about this, he couldn’t handle the disappointed look his big brother would shoot him at hearing how callously he had treated another’s courting attempt. Dwalin bit his lip to try and stop the tears coming to his own eyes, chubby hands clenched into fists. 

Nori simply looked at the other in shock.

Had Dwain really just apologized to him? Even after fighting to the point where they each had black eyes and sore arms, neither boy had ever apologized to the other despite the grudging respect they each held for the other. Did that mean that Dwalin felt bad for almost ruining Nori’s courting gift? 

At the sudden reminder of the bun, Nori nervously pulled the tiny parcel from his pocket and unwrapped it. 

It seemed that luck was on his side, because even though Nori was sure he would have a ginormous bruise, the bun was still as pretty and round as it had been when he had grabbed it from stall. With a sigh of relief, he wrapped it back up and placed it in his pocket once again before turning to the larger boy. 

“Um...” Dwalin started off hesitantly. He wasn’t entirely sure what he should say but he knew that he wouldn’t stop Nori from presenting his gift. He finally decided to wish the other good luck, and he walked away. 

Nori had watched the bulky form of the other boy walk away, eyes wide in disbelief before he decided that he had better hurry to find his One before the bun got cold, and scurried away. 

And there he was, creeping behind his One, waiting until the handsome dwarfling was alone so that he could present his gift. 

He knew that it was a terrible thing really, after all these were his future in-laws, but he really wished the others would just hurry up and leave his Bofur, so that he can present his blasted courting gift!

After what seemed like an eternity—though in actuality was only a minute or two—the others finally turned off to go to their respective apprenticeships, leaving Nori with the opportunity he had been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally think that Dwalin and Nori are like the brotp but they would never admit it to each other.


	3. (Bofur) The Adorable Shadow

Bofur had been humming a mining shanty that he had heard his uncle singing when a dirty little dwarrow appeared in front of him from seemingly nowhere. 

It was a good thing that Bofur wasn’t the screaming type, because the way the other boy had just appeared from the shadows was truly impressive, and Bofur actually wasn’t too miffed about the appearance because he recognized the dirty little pebble—or at least he recognized the other’s crazy hair!

It was the same little boy he had seen two days ago, the one who had given him the cheese bun. “”ey, I ‘member ya! Ya gave me t’at yummy bun da other day!” 

At his words, the other seemed to light up, his dark brown eyes bright and pleased and Bofur felt something in his chest flutter at that expression. 

Without saying a single word the skinny boy pulled something from his tunic and presented it to Bofur. 

Bemused, Bofur unwrapped the object to reveal another cheese bun still fresh and warm...and Bofur couldn’t help but smile.

Unsure what else to say, especially since the other didn’t seem happy to accept Bofur’s refusals the other day, the pigtailed boy simply smiled even brighter. “T’ank ye!” And watched with amusement and that weird little flutter in his chest as the other boy disappeared again.


	4. (Bofur) A week of gifts

Over the next week, the tiny little dwarrow continued to surprise Bofur, springing out of the shadows like a ghost and always with little gifts wrapped in a clean handkerchief. 

First it was a set of shiny brass buttons. The other had presented Bofur with the gift the day after he had accidentally lost some of his own after punching a boy who was making fun of Bifur. Thanking the little dwarrow had resulted in that same pleased flicker in the boy’s dark eyes before he ran off. 

The second gift was the small toy Bombur had wanted when they had seen it in the market. Bombur had been nearly inconsolable when they had to leave, and Bofur had felt like an awful big brother since he wasn’t able to get his baby brother something as simple as a new toy. 

When the little boy with the bird’s nest hair had presented that gift, Bofur hadn’t been able to stop from fiercely hugging the smaller dwarrow, tears filling his copper eyes and voice thick with emotion as he garbled out his thanks. 

That had resulted in the other boy blushing the prettiest shade of pink that Bofur had ever seen, the blush extending all the way to the boy’s tiny little ears and Bofur felt that same warm flicker in his heart burn a little brighter, before the boy scrambled away. 

The last gift had made Bofur cry for real. Wrapped in its customary handkerchief, the other boy had presented it shyly, refusing to even make eye contact. 

When Bofur took off the simple cloth, he couldn’t utter a single word—except for a rather hysterical squawking noise. It was a carving knife, an honest to Mahal carving knife! 

It was old and the handle was a little worn, but it was an actual carving knife and Bofur couldn’t help but thank his little shadow profusely, and that action brought the first actual smile to the other boy’s dirt smudged face before he disappeared again.

And it was in that moment, Bofur delicately cradling the gift to his chest, that he wondered if he wasn’t a little bit in love with the dirty little dwarfling with the crazy red hair...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that I haven’t had Nori say a single word to Bofur this entire fic yet? How is that even possible? Any guesses on what his first words to Bofur will be?


	5. (Nori) To be nervous

Nori felt like his heart was going to burst out of his body! His Bofur had accepted his courting gifts! He had accepted every single one, and the he had done so happily!

He was going to marry Nori! Nori was going to marry the bright shiny dwarfling with the charming braids, and the pretty whiskers, and the cheerful laugh and the twinkling copper eyes and...and oh Mahal! He would get to be hugged every day when they were married!

Nori couldn’t help but squeal happily at the thought, the memory of Bofur’s short, thick little arms wrapping around Nori and pulling him to a stocky chest making Nori feel warm. Yes Bofur was going to be Nori’s husband, just as soon as Nori presented his last gift to the other boy.

Except he couldn’t do that unless Nori could somehow tame the wild craziness that was his hair! And nothing was working!!!

He had washed it, scrubbed it, scoured it, until his scalp hurt and his hair was brighter than a ruby and he still couldn’t get it to look nice! It just kept sticking up every which way and he had already broken a comb trying to tame his thick hair and tears of frustration were starting to build up in Nori’s eyes as he worried if he would ever be able to look nice enough for Bofur...

He wasn’t even sure why the other boy accepted any of his courting gifts because Bofur was just so...good! He was so kind and hardworking and he looked after his brother and his cousin, and he worked hard at his mining apprenticeship even though it was obvious that he really wanted to be a wood carver!

And he was just so...happy! He was always smiling, and they were real smiles! Not the fake ones Dori sometimes gave him, or the ones that other dwarflings gave when they said that Nori couldn’t play with them. Bofur had a nice smile, and a pretty laugh, and he was far too good for an undersized dwarrow who couldn’t even learn a real craft and...

At this Nori really did let out a tiny sob! He just wanted to look nice. He just wanted to be at least half as pretty as Bofur and...and he just couldn’t do it by himself.

By himself! He had been trying this by himself, and while everything he had done had failed so far, maybe a certain fussy older brother with immaculate brown braids might be able to help him...

Nori didn’t like it, but he had no other options. He had already tried everything else, and nothing had worked. Nothing was good enough. Nothing looked good enough or felt good enough. 

Putting on his most determined face, the dwarfing marched up to the door and gave a soft knock—it wouldn’t do to forget his manners and be lectured for the next three hours. 

“Come in.” With a sort of grim determination that was better suited to someone heading to the executioner’s block, Nori opened the door and walked in. This was his last hope. 

His brother sat on their bed, knitting needles clacking softy as he hummed to himself. A quick glance was the only acknowledgment Nori received, and Nori silently asked Mahal for courage. “D-Dori?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Nori might seem a little ooc...


	6. (Dori) Helping your little brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I couldn’t have a fic with Nori, and not include Dori.

Noticing the slight tremble in his baby brother’s voice made something in Dori hesitate, and he put aside his knitting. “What is it nadadith?” He asked, voice worried. Had Nori done something? Was someone bothering Nori?

He watched as his little brother hesitated and Dori couldn’t help but feel guilty as he watched his too small little brother clench and unclench his slender little hands. Nori was too small and too skinny for any healthy dwarfling his age, and even though Dori and amad did everything they could to make sure that Nori never went to bed hungry, there wasn’t nearly enough for a growing boy. 

Getting off the bed, Dori crouched down a put a hand on the pebble’s narrow shoulder, “Nori, what’s wrong?” He had noticed a sort of nervous energy around his brother of late, and while he had worried and fussed he hadn’t questioned the little dwarrow about it, convinced that Nori would come to him when he was ready. But now that it came to it, he was worried because his spitfire of a little brother was never this nervous about anything. 

“I-I need help...w-with my...h-hair.” The boy said quietly. 

Dori couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”

Blushing, Nori repeated the request “I n-need help....with m-my hair.” 

Dori couldn’t help but feel as though he had missed something important in the last week. His brother hated anyone touching or messing with his hair. Had hated it once he was just a baby and their mother would try and wash the little boy. the moment anything had touched the top of his hair had made him screech his tiny lungs out. 

Dori ways tried to make sure that his baby brother looked respectable, but with such a tender head Nori never allowed anyone near his hair and now his baby brother was willingly asking Dori of all people for help. 

“Why?” He asked, a bit shell shocked. 

And that was how he got the whole story about how his brother had met the most handsome, sweet, happy little dwarfling in all of Ered Luin. How Nori just knew that Bofur, that was the dwarfling’s name isn’t it just the prettiest name ever, had to be Nori’s one because Nori didn’t even think before giving the stockier dwarfling his cheese bun that he had waited an entire morning to nab—Dori had to refrain from interrupting his brother at the mention of thievery though it was a near thing—how Nori had proceeded to court his One in a way that wouldn’t embarrass Dori. 

How Nori had given him gifts that proved that Nori could provide for him. That Nori could keep him warm. Provided gifts to ensure that Nori would care for Bofur’s family, and gifts that showed that Nori honored his One’s craft! And that Bofur had accepted each and every last gift and that now Nori wanted to present the last gift, a gift made by Nori’s own hands and he needed to look pretty because he knew that he was too scrawny and itty to even be half as handsome as Bofur but Bofur had still accepted him gifts, still thanked him and hugged him and nothing he could tried was working and—

Noticing how red his brother was getting, and how much he was getting upset over the idea that he wasn’t enough for this Bofur boy made something in Dori tremble in fury. His baby brother was the most considerate, wonderful, clever little dwarfling in the world and anyone would be lucky to have him! Squeezing the boy to him tightly, a little squeak being the only response at the action, Dori promised he would help. 

And silently promised himself that if his baby brother came home with a broken heart, this Bofur boy would leave with a broken face. Respectability be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in my AU, Ori isn’t around yet. Remember that there was supposed to be a significant age difference between Ori and his brothers—and hide there will be a little one, I’m thinking that Bofur and Nori are closer to 6 (so around 20 to 25 in dwarf aging...) and that means that Dwalin will be around the same age...


	7. (Bofur) Realization

Bofur was walking home after speaking with a local toy maker. He had asked if it would be possible to have some lessons so that he could become better at this skills, and the older dwarrow had nodded after watching Bofur work. 

The stocky little pebble couldn’t help but smile and think of his shy little shadow who had made it all possible. The boy’s gift had given Bofur the courage to approach his parents state that he wanted to learn how to be a wood carver, he wanted to know how to answer the call in the wood.

How to shape it into something else, how to make it’s inner heart shine as his hands molded it to reveal it’s true nature. He loved mining he did, and he loved his family, but he wanted to do this! He wanted to make toys, and other things and make sure that the other dwarflings of Ered Luin would always have something to play with!

His parents had listened, neither saying a word as Bofur had passionately talked about why he wanted to learn until the boy had run out of things to say, and eventually quieted. They all stood there quietly, his amad continuing to peel potatoes as his adad washed the dust from his beard. “If’n t’ats what’cha want to be doin’ me wee lad, o’ course ye can learn!” His adad said. And with a whoop he hugged both his parents, and promised he would be the bestest wood carver there ever was. 

And it was all thanks to his red-headed shadow, with the sweet blush and the sparkly eyes, and the adorable ears and Bofur smiled warmly at the thought of seeing his little shadow again, and maybe giving him the crudely painted little magpie he made, because that’s what the tiny dwarfling made Bofur think of with his bird’s nest hair and large dark eyes. 

Almost as if merely thinking about him had summoned him, the boy appeared out of nowhere and Bofur couldn’t help the strangled gasp that escaped him because wow! His shadow was pretty!

He had been cute and adorable before with his dirty face and shiny eyes, but now...

His face had been cleaned till it shone like a new penny, not a single trace of dirt on it and Bofur could see that the other boy had the most adorable freckles! His nose was the most delicate beak of a nose he had ever seen, and it was so incredibly charming that Bofur couldn’t help but think how much that nose suited his Magpie. But that wasn’t even the biggest change!

No, the biggest change was that the boy’s hair, which was often tangled and messy and usually filled with debris, was clean. Clean and bright and shining the prettiest red to ever red, redder than a ruby, or a garnet, or a zircon or even a beryl! And it was braided up into the most graceful star shape that Bofur had to catch his breath! His Magpie was beautiful, like the princes in the stories his amad would read to him and Bombur before bed. 

And he was that pretty shade of pink again. “H-hi.” The other dwarfling said shyly, his voice soft and timid as though he was embarrassed that Bofur wouldn’t like his new appearance. 

Bofur still didn’t have the capacity to speak, his childish mind on a constant repeat of adorable, pretty, beautiful, mine, Magpie pretty mine. 

Seemingly unfazed by the lack of response, though Bofur noted how the other’s hands were clenching and unclenching, Bofur’s adorable little shadow marched up to Bofur and dragged out yet another handkerchief. 

Without conscious thought, Bofur accepted the gift. He couldn’t look away from the other if he tried. 

Seemingly embarrassed, the pebble looked away and Bofur was reminded of the gift. With shaky hands, Bofur unwrapped the cloth to reveal two crudely carved beads and that’s when everything clicked. 

The gifts. The boy always coming when Bofur was alone. The shy hesitant smile. The adorable pink blush. He was being courted by this beautiful little dwarfling and he hadn’t even known!

Bofur smiled and he felt as though this may be the brightest, happiest, most sincere smile he had ever had in his entire life, and he pulled out his own gift to present to his One. His One, he had a one!

The smaller boy accepted it with a pleased smile and an even darker blush and Bofur couldn’t help but say the first thing that came to mind. “I don’ even know yer name...”

Looking up at him with those bright brown eyes, his pink blush making those cute freckles pop even more, the boy said two simple words. “...it’s Nori.”

And in that moment, Bofur knew that he would marry Nori, he would marry his sweet little Magpie who had courted him without Bofur even knowing and he would fill their lives with toys, and buttons and cheese buns, and smiles. He would fill his life up with Nori, and he would be the luckiest dwarrow to have ever lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Hopefully you liked it! I really love thinking about the company as little dwarflings! Let me know what you think. :)

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you guys think? I personally think that as a child, Nori hated to have his hair done especially since he thought that he would turn into a fussy mother hen like his brother if he let Dori braid it. :)


End file.
